#standwithsalman

#StandWithSalman | Get Involved

Following the vicious attack on Sir Salman Rushdie at an event in New York state last week, PEN America have organised “#Stand with Salman” – a global event offering solidarity with the renowned author and defending the freedom to write. Here’s how the people of Wales can show their support.

There was an outpouring of grief and outrage last week when Rushdie was stabbed multiple times by a masked attacker at a literary event in the Chautauqua Institution. The Booker Prize winner has been plagued by death threats for decades since the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses in 1988.

Now, Wales has a chance to stand in solidarity with Salman while championing the right to artistic expression. PEN America say the event is a chance for: “Writers around the globe [to] stand in solidarity with Salman Rushdie and celebrate his tireless advocacy for the freedom of expression and the plight of imperilled writers around the globe.”

Run in partnership with The New York Public Library and Penguin Random House, an in-person event will be held in Manhattan in New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at 11:00 am-12:00 pm EDT (4-5 pm BST). Authors at the event will read passages from Rushdie’s work, with readers including: Paul Auster, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Tina Brown, Kiran Desai, Andrea Elliott, Amanda Foreman, Roya Hakakian, A.M. Homes, Siri Hustvedt, Hari Kunzru, Aasif Mandvi, Colum McCann, Andrew Solomon, and Gay Talese.

Writers, readers and supporters from Wales can join in with the event by sharing their own video of themselves reading a passage from Rushdie on social media using the hashtag #StandWithSalman. If you’re joining in from Wales, don’t forget to tag @PenAmerica and @WalesArtsReview so we can share your contribution and spread the message far and wide.

In a piece for The Guardian, Margaret Atwood aptly writes: “Rushdie didn’t plan to become a free-speech hero, but he is one now. Writers everywhere – those who are not state hacks or brainwashed robots – owe him a huge vote of thanks.”

Don’t miss out on the chance to show your support with a video shared using the hashtag #StandWithSalman, and tagging @WalesArtsReview and @PenAmerica.

Watch #StandWithSalmancontributions from writers in Wales below.